An architecture fan, Kang notes it was the beautiful domes that lured her to Isfahan in the first place.
Once one of the most important cities in Central Asia, it was a major stop on the Silk Road, a network of Asian trade routes linking China with the West that was active until the mid-15th century.
Today, Isfahan is home to several UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Masjed-e Jāmé, or Friday Mosque, which the global organization says is the oldest preserved edifice of its type in Iran and a prototype for later mosque designs throughout Central Asia.
“I am in love with the unique color of Persian blue that is used in the mosques,” says Kang. “I was very touched when I first saw them.”
‘A lady at the bus stop screamed’
On June 14, finding the roads blocked, Kang canceled her plans to travel to northern Iran and stayed home playing card games and cooking with her host family. While seated on the carpets woven with Isfahan patterns, they served her bread, tea and traditional Iranian foods, while she treated them to Chinese spicy hotpot, known as malatang, and to milk tea.
That was the last homestay before her long journey out of the country.
In the early morning of June 15, she set off to Tehran by bus. On the way, Kang says a police officer stopped the vehicle for a security check, and she was asked to put on a headscarf.
“Approaching Tehran, I saw black smoke, which scared me,” she says.
Arriving in the Iranian capital at 2 p.m., she jumped from one bus stop to another, seeking help from locals for tickets to the northwestern city of Tabriz.
“I heard sounds of gunfire, and then a lady at the bus stop screamed. I was pretty calm though… I heard gunfire from far away every 10 minutes,” she says.
Although some residents looked frustrated, she says the city was quite calm. During a visit to one restaurant, everyone appeared to be carrying on as normal. However, she says her inability to speak Farsi made it difficult to get a real sense of how people truly felt about the situation.
“Around 50 years ago, this place was known as the ‘Little Paris of the Middle East’,” she says. “Now, most people seem to carry a sense of gloom, complaining about the government. Some strike me as highly talented and speak excellent English, yet they feel suppressed by the government and lack the means to travel abroad.”
Kang finally got on a bus departing from Tehran at 10 p.m. and fell asleep. The next morning, she awoke to discover the bus had traveled less than 100 kilometers, caught in congested traffic with masses of people leaving the capital. In total, it took her around 15 hours to arrive in Tabriz.
“I was tired and hungry,” she says, adding that there was no bathroom on board the bus. After a few more struggles due to language barriers, she eventually found another bus to Maku. From there, she was able to take a taxi to the Turkish border. Crossing into Turkey at midnight, it then took another 22 hours to get to Istanbul, where she was able to catch a flight to Taiwan.
“I had never expected to run into a war,” Kang tells CNN. Many of the local Iranians she spoke with during her time in the country, she says, had a negative view of their government and wished to leave, blaming it for the poor economy, which has left ordinary citizens struggling.
In total, her escape from Iran took 104 hours, but she says she wouldn’t do things differently. In fact, she says she considers it one of her five top countries.
“I will never regret coming to Iran, despite the conflict,” Kang says. “The people there are amazing, with great hospitality.”
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